


family is family

by cinderlily



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Engagement, M/M, captain serious family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-26
Updated: 2017-03-26
Packaged: 2018-10-10 21:03:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10447455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cinderlily/pseuds/cinderlily
Summary: Jonny and Patrick's engagement dinner, wherein Patrick's family is his family and Jonny is low-key not helping.





	

**Author's Note:**

> "They're there for your first year, they give you your first beer  
> When you get your heart broke, they're there for your worst year  
> Don't get you at all, but your apple don't fall too far from 'em  
> They own too much wicker and drink too much liquor  
> You'd wash your hands of them, but blood's always thicker  
> You might look just like 'em; that don't mean you're like 'em  
> But you love 'em
> 
> Family is family, in church or in prison  
> You get what you get, and you don't get to pick 'em  
> They might smoke like chimneys, but give you their kidneys  
> Yeah, friends come in handy, but family is family"  
> -Family is Family by Kasey Musgraves

Patrick was very carefully trying to bore a hole into the side of Jonny’s head with his eyes. Jackie was talking about the time that she and he played tea party with her Barbies and Patrick had given Ken a gay story line and had him fall in love with one of his GI Joes from afar. He stood by the fact that this was not a precursor to him liking men but him just trying to piss his sister off but it didn’t matter. Everyone was laughing. 

And Jonny was too busy laughing to LOOK AT HIM. 

It was their engagement dinner, but they hadn’t been allowed to sit next to each other. Or they had for exactly five minutes before they had to sit across from each other so that they wouldn’t “be all nauseating” (Erica’s words, not his) and so he was in his own form of hell and Jonny looked like he might actually be enjoying himself. He couldn’t even kick him as he couldn’t reach. 

Erica had barely let the last word of the sentence die out before his mom jumped into telling the entire room that he’d come home from the first time he played with Jonny _only_ talking about Jonny and how he was the best player he’d played with and how he was awesome and cool and as his mom loved to say, “ _Jonny Jonny Jonny_ for a straight month.” 

It wasn’t an exaggeration and yes, probably THAT was more of a sign of his homosexuality but whatever. Again, the table laughed, Jonny laughed but he finally looked at Patrick who raised his eyebrows as high as they went, tilted his head decidedly at Jonny and made a gesture. 

Jonny mouthed, ‘What?’ 

‘Your turn,’ he responded as exaggerated as possible. 

But Jonny just shrugged. Patrick was seriously thinking about ordering another drink, but his mom had already tutted at his two beers. Which, come on, _two beers_ he was 26 years old. Jeez. 

It looked like Erica was about to get into the fun so Patrick decided to take things into his own hands. He looked at the Toews and smiled broadly. 

“So, Madame Gilbert, Mr. Toews,” he said brightly. “Jonny. He probably was a real scamp as a child, right? Causing trouble. Doing stupid stuff.” 

They looked at one another and Mr. Toews arched an eyebrow. “Not particularly. I mean, he was quiet but a good kid. Really into his studies. We had a rink I’d make in our backyard. He liked to play on that in the winter.” 

Patrick blinked. He loved his soon to be father in law, really, the guy had been a part of his life for better than a decade but REALLY HERE? He looked over to the youngest Toews, who had to have _something_ right? 

“David?” he said, probably a little desperately. “Brother to brother, he was a total weirdo right?” 

David smiled beatifically at Patrick, the fucker. “He was a good bigger brother. He liked the skating. You know _serious_ about his sport.” 

Jonny covered his eyes. “David, shut up.” 

Which was decidedly NOT fair, because that wasn’t even bad. That was just his nickname. The one that had faded years ago. Yeah, it was fun that it still kind of got to him but that was not akin to the Barbie story at all. 

“Oh Patrick had serious DOWN,” Jess called out. “He threw such a fit once when I was supposed to be playing goalie and I didn’t want to because even with the soft air ball thing he still threw it hard enough to _hurt_ , so I told mom and he _sobbed_ for about twenty minutes in the hallway.” 

Patrick groaned. “I was a _kid_.” 

“You were thirteen, Patrick,” Jess said. “I was like nine, AND I had to give you a piece of my chocolate from Easter the week beforehand.” 

So, rationally he was aware that Jonny wasn’t going to go running to the hills or anything. He’d known him long enough to _not_ be surprised about most of his childhood stories but the fact that he was the center of the joke storm was not exactly his favorite bit of this evening. 

But, as his dad launched into another turn of him being a little too over emotional after a loss in a scrimmage at age ten, he figured that he was pretty well doomed. He sagged in his seat and sipped at the last of his beer. 

He looked around for the waitress, because you know, fuck it. But turned to find Jonny behind him instead. He hadn’t even seen him get up, so he started a little bit. 

“Come on,” Jonny said, offering a hand

“Jesus, _Cullen_ ,” he muttered but Jonny ignored his joke or didn’t even get it and instead pulled him up. The table, so busy going back and forth, barely noticed as they got up. “Where are we going?” 

Jonny kept their hands locked, pulling him in his wake. “First? The bar.” 

He would totally propose again. Or, okay, for the first time. TECHNICALLY Jonny proposed first, but just because the dink didn’t give him enough time to get to his pocket before he asked at the nicest place he could find in Winterperg. The jerk. The perfect, awesome, man he had a great view of the guy’s ass… jerk. 

They got to the bar and Jonny asked for two beers. 

“You looked like you might actually punch a sibling so I figured I would get you out of there before you dropped gloves.” 

“Tell me, did you HAVE a childhood? Or did you come out of the womb freaking perfect?” Patrick asked, his voice just a little too high. “I swear, your parents can’t find one story of you doing stupid shit. I’m not even talking about the Barbie level. I would take you being out past curfew, Jonny.” 

Brazenly, in full view of people with cameras, Jonny leaned over and gave a kiss to Patrick’s temple. “I think my parents were willfully blind. And David is just winding you up, you get that right?” 

“You are the better Toews.” 

“I’d hope so,” Jonny said the beers coming up to him. “You’re marrying _me_.” 

“See if my sisters like their Christmas gifts this year. Freaking coal and broken glass.” 

Jonny laughed. “You know by then you’ll forget and get them something stupid awesome.” 

“But I have YOU to remind me,” he pointed out, sipping at his beer. “And you’ll HAVE TO because we’ll be _married_.” 

“Yeah, about that…” Jonny put a finger to his lips. Patrick inexplicably felt anxiety curl up in his stomach, but in the next moment Jonny squeezed his hand and it all ebbed. He caught the faintest hint of a smile at the sides of Jonny’s lips. “How about no speeches?” 

Oxygen returned to his chest and he woofed out a laugh. “I like you, you I’ll keep.” 

“You know we have to go back, right?” 

Patrick nodded, looking back towards the table like it was the Green Mile. “Might as well.” 

From what he could see Erica was making giant hand motions and the Toews were looking on a bit confused while amused at the same time. He looked over at Jonny pleadingly.

“After we finish our beers.” 

He exhaled. 

Yeah, he was marrying this one.

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my engagement party, more or less. My family is Patrick's, my wife is all about Jonny's family. The fact that she married me is a miracle. My dad was the only one telling stories, but they were the worst you could find. Like... god. Embarrassing. And it was at my house so I couldn't escape and there was no liquor. Zero liquor. Except one small bottle of champagne. *cringe till death, 10 years later*


End file.
